Effects of Insomnia

Mental & Emotional Effects of Insomnia

Insomnia can have a great affect on your life should it go untreated; your sleep deprivation can lead to a number of different negative consequences. The lack of sleep you may be experiencing could affect your health, social and work life.

Many people who have experienced some form of insomnia have reported to have had mental disruptions, such as a lack of concentration for long periods of time which is evidently very dangerous should you be driving or operating heavy machinery frequently. It is also known to affect the memory, sometimes leading to distressing confusion when addressed with something you feel you should already know. People who are suffering from 2-3 hours less sleep per night a week have been likened to showing behavioural patterns like people who have alcohol within their system. Sufferers will also experience extreme moments of tiredness during the day, which can obviously have a big impact on their lifestyles. 


Insomnia can also be the root cause of further problems as people with chronic insomnia can form signs of depression and ongoing irritability. The lack of sleep severely affects your mood and the consequences can be furthering problems. Insomnia could also make other medical conditions worse as the body becomes fatigued, stressed and unable to fight other illnesses as the level of immunity can be lowered by lack of sleep and time for the body to re-build its natural defences. 

Physical Effects of Insomnia

The lack of sleep created through insomnia can create problems physically as well as mentally. People who sleep less than five hours have been found to be more likely to gain weight, which can lead to obesity. Research has shown that people who sleep less and achieve less REM sleep are likely to have a greater food intake.

It is important that, should your insomnia be a temporary one (transient or short-term insomnia), you do not worry about sleeping, or become stressed over the lack of sleep you are achieving. To begin to panic about sleeping at night will only further your sleeping problems as your mind will not relax itself enough to begin sleeping. The effects of short term periods of insomnia have been seen to develop into chronic insomnia due to the worry that infests itself within your mind as to your lack of sleep. 

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